Martin, at my age, eroticism is reduced to enjoying caramel custard and looking at widows' necks.

Every book has a soul, the soul of the person who wrote it and the soul of those who read it and dream about it.

I don't suppose you have many friends. Neither do I. I don't trust people who say they have a lot of friends. It's a sure sign that they don't really know anyone.

Over time, loneliness gets inside you and doesn't go away.

Don't be afraid of being scared. To be afraid is a sign of common sense. Only complete idiots are not afraid of anything.

We spend a good part of our lives dreaming, especially when we're awake.

We all give up great expectations along the way.

I can't die yet, doctor. Not yet. I have things to do. Afterwords I'll have a whole lifetime in which to die.

I've always said that idleness dulls the spirit. We have to keep the brain busy, or at least the hands if we don't have a brain.

It is impossible to survive in a prolonged state of reality.

Silence makes idiots seem wise even for a minute.

The people who know God well—mystics, hermits, prayerful people, those who risk everything to find God—always meet a lover, not a dictator.

All the training was necessary for my personal development.

With every vial of success there is always a pinch of madness.

The bullet is a fool, the bayonet is a fine chap.

When you love something, whether it's jam and cheese sandwiches or wearing your pyjamas as pants, you forget that it was ever anything other than commonplace.

In Saudi Arabia, among other countries, Muslims are not free to convert to Christianity, and Christians are not free to practice their faith. The Koran is not a rights-respecting document.

I like to be in waiting rooms with people as they're auditioning, because their terror calms me.

It's about empowering girls, You're gonna have bad boyfriends and best friends-turned-enemies. You need to be yourself, you need to work hard, and you'll get there.

But when we observe, we are forced to pay attention. We have to move from passive absorption to active awareness. We have to engage.

I don't want to work on stuff I don't like.